On today's chart 662K views since yesterday

Wrecker Rick flies to Alaska for a soldier's swamp-stranded Ford

A narrow woodland trail and a truck that won't crank turn this Fairbanks recovery into a test of rigging, not just pulling power.

Channel:

MURPHYS DIESEL Story of October 31, 2026Trari Newsroom

No. 66 on the daily chart No. 2 on the Cars chart

Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 662,057 views.

No One In Alaska Could Rescue This Soldier… Now I Know Why!

Video summary

Press to jump

0:53Rick and his wife collect the truck Trapper Ryan left for them at Fairbanks airport.
4:47The group scouts the muddy trail and finds the red Ford F-350 sunk in swamp water.
6:11Rick checks under the hood and attempts to crank the engine, without success.
9:17Rick backs his Dodge down the narrow wooded trail toward the stranded pickup.
11:15Winch line, snatch blocks and straps connect the recovery setup to trees used as anchors.
15:10Rick repositions the recovery truck and deals with winch-spool trouble while continuing the pull.

The red Ford F-350 sits deep in muddy water, beyond a narrow trail through the trees. Wrecker Rick checks under the hood and tries the engine. It won't turn over. Getting this soldier's pickup home will take a winch rather than a jump-start.

The MURPHYS DIESEL episode drew about 660,000 views since yesterday. Despite its title, "No One In Alaska Could Rescue This Soldier… Now I Know Why!", this is a vehicle recovery, not a rescue of someone trapped in the wilderness. Rick says local towing companies declined the job, so he and Mrs. Wrecker Rick fly from Arizona to help.

Their arrival has a familiar Alaska connection: Trapper Ryan has left a truck for them at Fairbanks airport. After collecting a rope kit, they meet Jonathan Schrum and other locally stationed Army personnel, then walk the muddy route to assess the stranded Ford.

The interesting part is how Rick makes the pull possible. He backs his Dodge down the wooded trail, rigs winch line, snatch blocks and straps, and uses trees as anchors. His recovery truck is roughly the same weight as the one he's retrieving, he explains, so it needs something solid holding it in place. Repositioning takes time, and trouble with the winch spool adds another interruption.

The episode includes a paid supplement advertisement, separate from the recovery. The channel's description says the Ford is successfully returned to its owner without a charge.

After the homemade-barge expedition we reported here, Alaska is becoming a familiar setting for Rick's work. Viewers are now joking that he might as well move the operation there; others have noticed the absence of his customary "They used to call me" line.

Published on Trari